Friendship over

Name: Friendship over
Author: Julie Sternberg
ISBN: 9781590789933

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Julie Sternberg

Illustrated by Johanna Wright

Reading Level 2-3 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 5-8 Matched

The text is written at a 2nd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links.

About This Book

Celie is the queen of handling chaos—fights, secrets, and a silent best friend—but she has a secret weapon: her diary. Writing down her thoughts isn’t just fun, it’s how she wins the battle against all the changes around her. Discover why putting pen to paper might just be the bravest thing Celie does!

Themes

Friendship Humor Family Coming of AgeDiary

Quick Assessment

This early reader book follows Celie, a ten-year-old navigating family conflicts, friendship challenges, and change through her diary entries. It offers relatable themes for children ages 5-8, emphasizing emotional expression and resilience. The story is humorous and lighthearted, suitable for young readers developing social and emotional awareness.

Why we rated Friendship over LE (Mild)

Friendship over is written at a Level 2-3 reading level across 152 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 4 and up can manage Friendship over on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Friendship over as LE (Mild, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, Friendship over explores friendship, humor, family, coming of age, and diary — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, humor, family.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Gentle

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?